Whitecaps FC confirm 2013 PDL roster

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the club’s roster for the 2013 United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) team, Whitecaps FC U-23. This year’s team will be coached by Stuart Neely, Whitecaps FC head of high performance.

“Our PDL roster this season is a compilation of local university talent, as well as a select group of players from our Residency program and finally, a small number of professional prospects,” noted Neely. “There is no doubt that the PDL will prove to be a strong task for these players to conquer, making it an exciting season for us all to be a part of.”

Seven players on the initial roster are graduates from the club’s Residency or Prospects program. Returning to the club are defender James Farenhorst of Trinity Western University, as well as midfielders Cam Hundal from the University of Victoria, Bobby Jhutty of Douglas College, and Gagandeep Dosanjh from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Jhutty, Dosanjh, Hundal, and defender Derrick Bassi of Simon Fraser University (SFU) are all products of the Whitecaps FC Residency program, while UBC midfielders Marco Visintin and Harry Lakhan are products of the club’s Prospects program.

New to the club are defenders Colton O’Neill from University of the Fraser Valley, Michael Winter from SFU, and strikers Peter Bow from Langara College and Niall Cousens from UBC. In addition, defender Ethen Sampson, who has been training with the club’s first team since February, joins Whitecaps FC's U-23 side. Sampson comes to Vancouver following three years with South African club ASD Cape Town.

Rounding out the roster are Whitecaps FC Residency goalkeepers Sean Melvin and Marco Carducci, defender Sam Adekugbe, midfielders Kianz Froese and Marco Bustos, and strikers Spencer DeBoice and Yassin Essa. The roster will also feature up to three Major League Soccer players on loan per match.

Defender/midfielder Emmanuel Adjetey and midfielder Ben Fisk, another graduate of the Residency program, were also named to the roster, but are currently on season-long loans to USL Pro side Charleston Battery.

Whitecaps FC U-23 begin their PDL campaign this coming Friday, May 10, at 7 p.m. PT at home to Kitsap Pumas at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium. The match is open to the public and admission is free of charge.